Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerLou Lamoriello said he lost a good friend in George Steinbrenner.

Lou Lamoriello remained close to George Steinbrenner even in the Yankees owner's final days when he was rarely seen in public.

In fact, Lamoriello said he called Steinbrenner just over a week ago.

"I actually spoke to him on July 4th. I called him. It was his 80th birthday," Lamoriello said today, emotion evident in his voice. "We had a conversation I'll never forget. Not that there was any major substance, but speaking to him on that day and with what happened today, I have very fond memories of the relationship.

"I respected what he accomplished and who he is."

Lamoriello has been on the board of Yankee Global Enterprises since 2004 and received a 2010 World Series ring from the team. But his relationship with Steinbrenner, he said, went much deeper.

He recalled that Steinbrenner watched Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup finals in Lamoriello's Continental Airlines Arena office because he didn't want to be seen by the public as the Devils won the Stanley Cup.

"This is a sad day. Certainly for his family, baseball, the Yankees and those who knew him well," Lamoriello said.

He spoke of their relationship.

"It was an exceptional one," Lamoriello said. "I really knew of him and only met him on isolated occasions prior to being involved with the YankeeNets when we were all one group-- the Devils, the Nets and the Yankees.

"For whatever reason, we became fairly close and spent considerable time (together) at different times. He was the sole individual responsible for me taking over the Nets when that transpired. His support throughout all of those years was just exceptional. He had me be become part of the Yankee family. I still am to this day on their board."

Lamoriello was CEO of the Nets for two seasons from 2001-02 until the sale of the team in 2004. The team went to the NBA finals in 2002 and '03.

"I couldn't say no to him," Lamoriello said of the Nets position. "I didn't try.

"We hit it off initially, I think, because we had a common denominator. We both came from a Dominican background. He had an association in Columbus and I had an association at Providence College with Father Taylor. lost, in my mind, an outstanding individual and a good friend."

The two saw each other the last time Lamoriello was in Tampa.

Lamoriello said he spoke to Randy Levine of the Yankees today, but had not yet spoken to anyone in the Steinbrenner family.

Steinbrenner did not attend Devils games in New Jersey often, but he showed up every now and then.

"He watched the final Stanley Cup game in my office because he didn't want to go into the crowd," Lamoriello recalled. "He watched in on TV in my office.

"He didn't go a lot, but he was there for that seventh game. He did things like that because he wanted to. And he was never afraid to say what he thought, which is what I admired about him."

There are many who see similarities in the way Steinbrenner ran the Yankees and the way Lamoriello runs the Devils.

"He was committed to the organization," Lamoriello said. "He had strong beliefs and he followed through the best he could."

Lamoriello added: "What most people don't know, or maybe don't want to know, is what he did for charities. The reason he did them was he felt it was the right thing. What he did for the armed forces and what his whole family continues to be involved with is just incredible."

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Rod Pelley's contract, agreed upon just before July 1 but signed recently, is worth $525,000 for 2010-11 and $525,000 for 2011-2012.